


Chilled to the Bone.

by farfarawaygirl



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Cold Outside, F/M, Snuggling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:06:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22768234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farfarawaygirl/pseuds/farfarawaygirl
Summary: They awoke together to the smell of coffee, and the sound of sizzling bacon. In the night one of Sylvie’s mittens had come off, and her bare hand had nestled under her cheek on Matt’s shoulder.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett & Matthew Casey, Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 10
Kudos: 197





	Chilled to the Bone.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m obsessed.
> 
> Get married already.

“Do you want an other beer, Sylvie?” 

Stella’s voice carried from the kitchen into the living room of Severide’s cabin. 

“Put on the kettle!” Sylvie replied from the pile of blankets she was covered in. “I’m too cold for beer.”

“I mean, it’s lukewarm.” Kidd pointed to the beer still on the table, but she still filled the kettle and cranked up the stove. 

“How are you always cold?” Foster was packing up their left overs from dinner, putting shredded cheese and pulled pork in small containers for later. She popped a taco chip into her mouth. 

“I’ve been cold since yesterday.”

“Kelly and Casey are bringing in more wood. That should warm you up a little.”

From her blanket pile Sylvie moaned. 

“Why is your birthday at the end of February? If you’d had the sense to be born in June we would not be freezing in a cabin in the woods!”

Foster and Kidd made their way over to the pile of blankets, and mercilessly attacked it with elbows and tickles. Sylvie pitiful cries for help were the first thing Severide and Casey heard when they entered. Severide dropped the wood into the box and pulled Kidd away from the fray. Foster gave up, and rolled off of Brett, landing cat like on the floor. 

Casey watched as Brett’s blonde head popped up from the mess of wool and yarn. She was endearingly disheveled. 

“Beer?” Stella called from the kitchen, and three yeses responded, and one request for tea. 

———

Close to 3 AM Casey awoke when he heard soft footsteps in the hallway. He watched as Sylvie crept closer to the fire that he slept next too. Kelly and Kidd had of course taken the master, Brett and Foster we’re sharing the guest room, and he had been given the air mattress in front of the fire. 

“What are you doing?”

At his voice Sylvie started, almost pitching into the safety grate on the fire. 

“Casey!” She whispered, “don’t scare me.”

“This is literally my room.”

“I’m adding more wood to the fire. It’s freezing and Emily kicked me out of bed for touching her with my cold hands.”

Matt laughed. She had found her mittens, and now pushed at his shoulder. 

“I’ve been cold ever since we stood in the snow at that house fire, waiting for your dumb face to get out.”

Sylvie was illuminated by the red and orange glow of the fire, and it made her a righteous figure in the night. It had been cold that day. And she was right, it had been a close call. When she was checking him over, he had seen the tears in her eyes. 

“Fine.” Matt mumbled, “get in.” As he spoke he pulled the edge of the blanket back and revealed the plaid sheets he was lying on. 

Sylvie did not hesitate. She tumbled in, and burrowed right into him. He felt the pure volume of her layers. Mittens, obviously. She was wearing a oversized Bears sweatshirt, and he saw the plaid fleece pyjamas set she had on underneath. Her feet were covered in grey and red wool socks, Matt recognized Cindy Herrmann’s handiwork. 

Umph, somehow her elbows were still sharp. 

“Sorry.” She whispered, her nose pressed against his ear. 

“You’re an ice cube.” Matt accuses. 

“I told you I was cold!”

Matt pulled her closer, almost on top of him, and they both suppressed laughter when the air mattress creaked. It took a moment for the bed to stop shaking with their laughter. 

“That better?”

Sylvie smiled into his neck. He felt it. 

“Much.”

Beside them the fire cracked and popped. 

“Okay. Tell me a story.” 

Matt laughed at her request. 

“What?”

“I’m all snuggled up, I need a bedtime story.”

“I don’t know any bed time stories.”

Sylvie pulled away a little and squinted at him in the firelight. 

“Make one up.” When he remained silent she groaned and said, “fine, I’ll start. Once upon a time... 

They traded outrageous sentence back and forth, telling a tale of a overly serious boy and a wide eyed little girl. 

“We should write this down.”

Sylvie hummed her agreement into the crook of his neck. When he spoke next, she didn’t respond, finally asleep. 

———-

They awoke together to the smell of coffee, and the sound of sizzling bacon. In the night one of Sylvie’s mittens had come off, and her bare hand had nestled under her cheek on Matt’s shoulder. 

“I’m never coming here in the winter again.” Sylvie declared this, eyes closed and loud enough to get a laugh from Kelly in the kitchen. 

Their bed dipped dramatically as Foster flung herself down beside Brett. Matt tightened his arms to keep Sylvie from rolling away. 

“You know, it is nice and warm here.” Foster spoke out to room. 

“We were sleeping.” Matt objected. 

The bed bounced again as Foster got up. 

“But there is breakfast to be had, and snow shoe-ing to be done.” 

“Happy birthday Stella!” Crowed Brett, eyes still closed, face still pressed close to Matt’s chest. 

“Pancakes!” Was Kidd’s reply, and it finally made Sylvie scramble from bed, and into the kitchen. Matt followed after her, joining their friends at the table, and helping himself to the bacon. 

——-

“Come on, Foster!” Sylvie’s voice was clear and bright, matching the air in the clearing. Matt smiles to himself as he took her in. She was a marshmallow. Snow pants, boots, down jacket, a scarf a mile long wrapped around her neck. On her head a bright blue knit cap, with a bobble that bounced at the slightest movement. 

She marched over to where Casey and Severide had sat down on a log, Kidd stretched out before them on the snow. Flicking snow at Kidd from her snow shoes she plopped down beside Casey. 

“I love the outdoors.” Her face was pink from the cold, and the activity, her nose almost red, but it made her smile sweeter. 

“An hour ago you were cold.” Matt pointed out. 

“An hour ago I was.” Was her reply. 

Foster stepped out of the tree line. She flung herself onto the snow beside Kidd. 

“Only a little farther to go!” Brett is already pushing off and up from log, pulling on Casey shoulder until he joins her. 

The other three look up at them.

“I’m done.” Fosters voice was flat. She pulled her sunglasses down more firmly on her nose. Beside her Kidd made a sheepish face. 

“You guys keep going,” Severide suggested, “we will head back and make lunch.”

Brett and Casey took off, leaving the rest of the group behind. 

“You do love it out here.”

“Damn right! I’m from Indiana, there was nothing to but go outside.”

Casey thought about what Brett had said, and asked, “do you think you’ll head back there, then?” At the noise of question Sylvie released he clarified, “Indiana.”

“No.” He reply was fast and firm. “I’m a Chicago girl now.”

They carried one, silent but companionable in the mid morning sun, enjoying the day. Neither of them had spent much time before today in this part of Illinois, Severide had found the trails on a map and they had set off. The Palos Trail System was far reaching, providing lots of space to roam and explore. 

Around noon they came to a break in the trees that exposed the lake below. After some cajoling Casey snapped a selfie of the two of them, the lake behind them and then took several photos of Brett. Each one showcased a bigger, brighter smile. It took them some time to get back to the cabin, lunch was long over, but they made sandwiches and helped themselves to chips while they listened to Kidd recount the disaster that was Foster making chilli. 

The rest of the day was spent in lazy companionship. Cards in the kitchen, coffee and beer were readily available. After dinner Sylvie present Stella with a garishly green birthday cake, and they sang to her. Casey though it was nice. Simple. Friends celebrating friends. 

Later, when everyone was getting ready for bed, Matt was surprised to find upon returning to his from the bathroom, that Sylvie was already there. Book in hand, and the blankets wrapped around her. 

“Move over.” Casey grunted, manhandling her a little as he made room for himself. 

“I thought I’d save you scaring me when Emily kicks me out.” 

“Uh hun.”

“What?!” Sylvie objected. “You did scare me.”

“Just shut up and read to me.”

“I can’t do both, Casey.”

“Okay, then read.”

For the second night in a row Matt slept with his arm around Brett. Her nose in the hollow of his jaw.


End file.
